FCC Chair Threatened ABC: "Easy Way or Hard Way" — Kimmel Suspended, Then Reinstated
After Kimmel's monologue on the Charlie Kirk assassination, FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." ABC affiliates pulled the show. ABC suspended Kimmel. Trump celebrated. 400+ artists signed an ACLU letter. Kimmel returned to 15.3M YouTube views.
On September 15, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel commented on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Two days later, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on a podcast and threatened ABC: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He called Kimmel's remarks "some of the sickest conduct possible."
The government pressure worked immediately:
- Nexstar (32 ABC affiliates) and Sinclair announced they would not broadcast the show
- ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live indefinitely
- Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED." He then targeted others: "That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Do it NBC!!!"
The ACLU organized an open letter signed by over 400 artists including Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, and Olivia Rodrigo. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said: "We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era."
Even Republican Senator Ted Cruz criticized FCC Chair Carr, comparing him to a "mafioso" and warning it set a bad precedent for conservative free speech.
ABC reversed course on September 22 after massive backlash. Kimmel returned with an emotional monologue: "Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television." The return received 15.3 million YouTube views in 24 hours.